Motion converter



July 26, 1949. F. A. LANE MOTION CONVERTER Filed April 8, i946 INVENTOR. E'mpAlANE,

A 7' TOFNEK Patented July 26, 1949 MOTION CONVERTER Fred A. Lane, Shelburn, Ind., assignor to Lane Motors,.Inc., Terre Haute, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application April 8,1946, Serial No. 660,493

6 Claims. (01. 74 57 The object of the present invention is to provide a. motion converter which shall be capable of efliciently converting rotation of one element into reciprocation of another, or vice versa. It is intended to provide a structure which shall accomplish these functions with minimum wear and maximum life, and which shall be extremely inexpensive to produce, simple to repair, and rugged in construction. Further objects of the invention will a pear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated. i

Fig. 1 is a more or less diagrammatic view of my invention embodied in a pump; a

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

. Fig. 3 is a sectional projection taken upon the line 3--3 of Fig.1; and i i Fig. 4 is atransverse section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. .l. i i

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, an elongated housing I is closed at oneend by a removable head I I and at the other end by a removable head l2 formed with a cylindrical aperture l3 in which is preferably mounteda lubricating bushing l4 forming a bearing for a rotary shaft I5.

Adjacent the head II the housing may be formed with a peripheral flow passage l6 opening through radial ports l1 and I8; and a similar passage I9 is formed adjacent the head 12, opening through ports 23 and 2|. Said passages, of course, communicate with the cylindrical bore 22 which extends through said housing Hi from end to end thereof.

Rotatably mounted in that end of thebore 22 adjacent the head I2 is a cylindrical block 23 connected to rotate with the shaft l and, in the illustrated embodiment of my invention, integral with said shaft. Said block 23 is bored to provide a cylinder 24, opening throughthe inner end of said block 23, and formed upon an axis parallel with, but offset with respect to, the axis of rotation of said block 23. Said cylinder 24 is formed with a radial port 25 registering with the passage l9.

Formed upon another axis, parallel with, but oftset with respect to, the axis of rotation of the block 23 is a socket 26 whose function will appear hereinafter.

Rotatably received in the bore 22 adjacent the head I! is a second cylindrical block 21. Said block is formed with a cylinder 28 which opens through the inner end of said block and Whose axis is parallel to the axis of rotation of the block 21, but offset therefrom by an amount equal to the offset of the axis of the cylinder 24, so that the axes of said cylinders 24 and 28 may be brought into alignment. Said cylinder 28 is formed with a radial port 29 registering with the passage It. A socket 30 is formed in the block 21, opening through the inner end thereof, and formed upon an axis which will be aligned with the axis of the socket 26 when the axes of the cylinders 24 and 2B are in alignment.

A bar 3| is formed with a reduced end 32 which is received in the socket 26 of the block 23, the reduction of said end 32 providing a shoulder 33 bearing against the inner surface of. the block 23. At its opposite end, the bar 3| is similarly reduced, the reduced portion 34 being received in the socket 30, and the shoulder 35 bearing against the inner face of the block 21.

A cam member 36 is formed with an eccentric bore 31 through which extends the body portion of the bar 31, said cam member being slidably associated with said bar 3 l, and being mounted for rotation and reciprocation in the housing bore 22. A port 38 extends from end to end of said member 36 to permit fluid flow past said cam member as it reciprocates.

Projecting from one end face of the cam member 36 is a piston 39 which, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, is shown to be integral with the member 33, and which carries a piston 40 reciprocably mounted in the cylinder 24. From the opposite end face of the member 33 projects a similar piston rod 4! carrying a piston 42 reciprocably received in the cylinder '28.

A cylindrical journal surface 43 is formed by cutting into the periphery of the cam block 36, the axis of said journal surface being inclined to the axis of rotation of the blocks 23 and 21. J ournalled upon said surface 43 is a split ring 44 which is provided, at one point in its periphery, with a radial opening 49.

In an enlargement 45 of the housing Ill there is formed a cylindrical socket 46, upon an axis lying in a plane normal to the axis of rotation of the blocks 23 and 21, and midway between the ends of the housing bore 22. Oscillably received in said socket 46 is a rocker pin 41 formed with a transverse bore 48 with which is adapted to regis them I,

" 1131, as t e n e swin s ab ut he axis pistons 40 and 42 in the cylinders 24 and 28, and

the engagement of the reduced ends 32 and 34 of the bar Si in the sockets 26 and 30, and the err-- gagement of said bar in the bore 31, will constitute the elements 23, 2?, and 35a rotatioriaH y rigid,

structure. Thus, although the block '23 may be considered a rotor and the block 21 may be considered another rotor, and althongh the element 36 is reciprocable relative to said blocks, the whole assembly of blocks 23 and 21 with their cylinders 24 and 253, pistons to and 42, and cam element 36, maybe considered as a single rotor.

When the shaft i is rotated, in a clockwise'directio'ri, for instance, as viewed in Fig. 2, the engagement of the ring as upon the journal surface 43;a'iid the connection of said ring to the rocker 4'1, will cause the cam element 35 to be moved toward the right, as viewed in- Fig. 1. A quarter turn 'of'the shaft l5 (and so, of all of the parts within the housing 'bore 22 except the ring 44 and pin 5Q) will swin'g the' ring 44 into a vertical plane, said ring moving about the axis of the rocker-d7. Note that initial movement of the rotor in a clockwise direction moves the port out of communication with the port 2! and into communication with the port 29. meht' of the ring 44 into a vertical position causes cam element to be moved toward the right, whereby the piston is drawn toward the open end of 'its cy'linder '24, so that fluid, for instance reservoir connected to the port '20-, will-be the port 20, and. closed from communication with the port 12! by the projections 52 and 53 formed on housing ill andextending into contact with the block 23 to obstruct the'groove f9; and similar structure maintains the port 29 in communieation with the, port 18 and out of communication with the port ll. As rotation of the shaft li-ognt i l ss beyond the 180" thus far described, the port '25 moves past the projection 52, and herefore co e 'intc communication with the. po 2! andieav-es communication with the port 20. Similarly, theport 23 leaves communication with ereon l8 and enters communication wi h h port. l 1;. Such further rotation causes. the journal surface 43 to swing the ring44 in a clockwise direction about the axis of the rocker 41, so. that the pistonsjlli and at will move toward the left tofdraw'fluid through the port If! intothe cylinder 23 and, to expel l id from the cylinder 24 through of the rocker 4'! the pin figmustreciprocate relaj- Ve-t'o herocertter to the ring .4, or both Such moveof sa d second tor element It is my present belief that, if the ends of the housing It! are suitably modified to provide for the admission to, and exhaust from, the cylinders 24 and 28, of combustible fuel and exhaust gases, the disclosed structure can be made to operate as an internal combustion engine to drive the shaft l5.

I cl im my .in if ii V 1. A motion converter comprising a housing having a cylindrical bore, a rotor mounted in said housing bore, a pair of aligned, inwardly-opening cylinders formed in said rotor upon an axis eccentric with respect to the axis of said rotor, a piston {or eachofsa-id cylinders, each piston being reciprocable in itscy id'er, means in said housing and reciprocable r'el'ative'to said rotor but rotatable only with said mt'or, said means being formed to provide a journal surface on an axis inclined to the axis of rotation of said rotor surface, an element journalled on said journal surface, and means re-taming said element-against rotation with said rotor butpermitting oscillation 10f said element abouta fixed external axis.

2.--'A in: ion converter comprising a housing having a cylindrical-bore, a rotor mounted insaid" housing-bore, acyana'er formed in said, rotor upo'r l an axis para-sea 'with, '"bu't offset with respect to, the axisof said rotor, and having one open end, a piston reciprocably received in said cylinder, means mounted in-said housing bore for reciprocation relative to said rotor, but constrained to rotate with said rotor, said means being fixed to; said piston and furt'her being formed to provide? a journal surface on an axis inclined to the axis of. rotation of said rotor, an eIementjOurnaIled on 'said' journal surfaceand means swingab le about a fixed axis outside said rotor and held against non-radial movement' relative to said element. a r V 3. A motion converter comprising a housing havinga zcylindrical bore, a rotor-element mount-V ed in said housing boreadiacentoneiend thereof,

asecon-d rotor element: mounted 'in said housing V bore adjacent the other end thereof, a cylinder ccentrically formed inreachof said rotor :ele-

ments, said cylinders being coaxial-and opening toward 7 each other, a member reciprocabl yand rotatably; mounted-in said housing bore between said rotsole, nts, a piston carried, on saidmember, projec ng lfrem;one.:end thereof, and.

ecipm abbz y din the cylindcr of Saidfirst-a amed. o or, element, asecend p ston, carried on said member, projecting from the other end he of andrccipr cab y r ceive the cylinder a jour al surface n sa d member on allia s inclined to, r itation o sa d rate lements-an ir'n' 'lled on. saidv journal surface and movement ofsaicl la t-namfids ionabo ita fixed axiso side said axis of "oscillation being dispqs a p ne no ma to. the axis ofrdtatien of sad rotor elemenjgs and mid ay between the. qfi' f' ihef fil' li sa d pi tons 74; A m ion o erjdomnr sins a housi'na; having-a cylindrical bore, arotordementmoun 1 ed said housing bore "adj ac'ent one end thereof, a second rotor eirhont mounted in said housing bore adjacent the other end thereof, -a; cylinder eccentrioally formed in each-of saidrotorelee a member reciprocably an'd rotatably mounted'j in said housing bore between said rotonelemenlfs,

a 'piston' carried" on; said mcinbeamrojecting from one end thereof, and reciprocab1yreeeiveo'inthe" cylinder of said first-named rotor element, a second piston carried on said member, projecting from the other end thereof, and reciprocably received in the cylinder of said second rotor element, a journal surface formed on said member on an axis inclined to the axis of rotation of said rotor elements, an element journalled on said journal surface, and means constrainin movement of said last-named element to oscillation about a fixed axis outside said housing bore, said axis of oscillation being disposed in a plane normal to the axis of rotation of said rotor elements and midway between the ends of the strokes of said pistons.

5. A motion converter comprising a housing having a cylindrical bore, a rotor element mounted in said housing bore adjacent one end thereof, a second rotor element mounted in said housing bore adjacent the other end thereof, a cylinder eccentrically formed in each of said rotor elements, said cylinders opening toward each other, a member reciprocably and rotatably mounted in said housing bore between said rotor elements,

a piston carried on said member, projecting from bore for oscillation about a fixed axis disposed in a plane normal to the axis of rotation of said rotor elements and midway between the ends of the strokes of said pistons, the end of said pin remote from said ring being held in said rocker.

6. A motion converter comprising a housing having an elongated cylindrical bore, a cylindrical block rotatably mounted in said bore adjacent one end thereof, a cylinder formed in said block and having an open end facing the opposite end of said bore, a second cylindrical block rotatably mounted in said bore adjacent the opposite end thereof, a cylinder formed in said second block and having an open end facing said first-mentioned block, said cylinders having a common axis parallel with, but offset with respect to, the common axis of rotation of said blocks, said blocks further being formed with aligned sockets parallel with, but oiTset with respect to, both said axes, a bar formed at its opposite ends for reception in said sockets, respectively, to hold said blocks against movement toward each other, a member received in said housing bore between said blocks and slidably mounted on said bar, pistons carried by said member and reciprocably received in said cylinders, respectively, a journal surface formed on said member upon an axis inclined to the axis of rotation of said blocks, and a member journalled on said journal surface and constrained to oscillation about a fixed axis outside said housing bore.

FRED A. LANE.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 766,410 Alger Aug. 2, 1904 1,241,624 Guy Oct. 2, 1917 1,430,275 Almen Sept. 26, 1922 1,780,398 Morgan Nov. 4, 1930 

